HOW CAN THEY COUNT IF WE DON'T COUNT THEM: THE NEED FOR DISABILITY PREVALENCE DATA IN THE GCC

By: Dr. Clayton Keller

A recent newsletter from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia briefly reported on a workshop it organized: Improving Disability Statistics in Arab Countries. The workshop highlighted how well defined, accurate disability data could be collected from various sources to help create a complete understanding of the disability landscape in the region.

The need for accurate and publicly reported disability prevalence data in Arab countries, including those in the GCC, is huge and long-standing. As Sheikha Hessa Al-Thani from Qatar, a former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Disability, noted in 2006: “One of the main challenges facing the recognition of the rights of persons with disabilities in the region is the recognition of disability itself... Without accurate and reliable data…there can be no appropriate services or programmes and no proper response to the needs."

The first step to a more inclusive society for individuals with disabilities is to accurately determine the disability landscape. From there, a paradigm shift is required. As stated in the 2006 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities "Persons with disabilities are not [to be] excluded from the general education system on the basis of disability". Thus, all children, no matter how complex or severe their disabilities are, must be seen as students. While there has been recent marked improvements for students with special needs in the GCC, for example Dubai's 2017 Inclusive Education Policy Framework, there remain challenges in the collation of reliable and comprehensive disability data.

If we do not count individuals with disabilities, in effect they do not count.

Reliable data on the prevalence of different disabilities in the nations’ children and youth allow ministries to develop and implement public education services and rely less on private education options that may be less inclusive or equitable. Data are needed to create programs to prepare a sufficient, well-qualified workforce of special and general educators; one composed of strong numbers of the country’s citizens. And through the development of such school-based and preparation programs, The GCC countries can achieve their national and international commitments to provide education to their citizens with disabilities. Dr. Clayton Keller is an educational expert with over 40 years of experience in special education in various countries. Experts at VIA Education Strategists can help you with the development, implementation, and evaluation of special education services and personnel preparation programs.